Multiple-Dwelling Fire Safety
Last week I wrote about a tragic fire in Chicago, in which Shantel McCoy was killed. I provided links to several articles in my post, but in a nutshell...
How I Discovered Door Checks (Part 3), by L.C. Norton
I previously posted Part 1 and Part 2 of this article, and here is the third and final segment.
Reader Photos
I have spent this entire week at our corporate office, so I haven't had a lot of time for posting. In return for your patience, next week I will post the third and final article from Lewis C. Norton's "How I Discovered Door Checks." That seems fair, right?
WW: Blocked Exit Sensor
I saw this application twice in one week...the exit sensor for the mag-lock mounted behind the exit sign. It definitely affects the range of the sensor. The code requirements for mag-locks do not address exact placement of the sensor, but this seems like common sense, no?
Apartment Fire – North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago
UPDATE: More articles added at the bottom of the post.
LCN Digital Calendar Page – January 2012
When I first started working for the New England agency representing LCN back in 1994 (MPS Sales), LCN used to print an annual calendar showing their door closers in action. Well, I don't know about you but it has been quite a few years since I have hung a calendar on the wall, and printed promotional calendars seem to have gone out of vogue. I miss looking at the photos on those old LCN calendars though.
LL Bean – What’s Missing?
We were on a mini-vacation earlier in the week, which is my excuse for forgetting two things. First, my pal Zeke Wolfskehl is in search of some research that I remember hearing about but have never been able to find documentation for. Maybe it's an urban legend, but I know that I heard/read somewhere that a pair of doors with a mullion allows more efficient egress than a pair of doors without a mullion. Do any of you remember where that was written? I need a lead to pursue.
1,000 Door Building by Choi Jeong-Hwa
Maybe I'm becoming too predictable. Two people sent me links to information about this 10-story building in Korea covered with 1,000 recycled doors. I love it! It kind of reminds me of my visit to Greenwich Lock and Safe, with the facade covered in keys. In both cases the creators are artists, sharing their art with the public.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
I'm on a mini-vacation with my family for the holidays, but I've already spotted some doors of interest for you so I will post those soon.
WW: Going Nowhere
This photo was sent in by Pat Bond of Shanahan's in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Thanks Pat!
Social Media Roundup
There have been a lot of interesting door-related stories in the news lately. In case you missed my Tweets...
EAC Catalog and Power Supplies
Many of Schlage and Von Duprin's electronic access control product numbers have changed within the last couple of years, and I've gotten a lot of calls about converting products and finding current information. The Electronic Access Control Catalog is now available on the Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies website, and the Search feature makes it much easier to find what you're looking for.
WW: Everywhere I Go
I think I may need therapy. I was looking for a specific photo on my phone and here's what I found instead. As I was taking almost all of these photos, there was a friend, child, or stranger looking at me like I was weird. :-)
Mouldering State Hospital
After the post on smoke doors I know I was ready for a break and I thought you might be too. I love photographs of urban decay, and Ward9 features some amazing photos of really interesting and often beautiful architectural ruins. I asked for permission to share a couple of the photos with you...go check out WardNine.com to see the rest and read a little about the history of these amazing places.
Decoded: Smoke Door Requirements of the 2009 International Building Code (February 2012)
UPDATE: A new version of this article, based on the 2015 IBC, is located here.
Panic Hardware Visibility
If you went to hardware school (like me), then you were taught that egress doors have to be visible and have an obvious method of operation, right? Well, every so often the question comes up regarding visibility of panic hardware, usually because someone wants to match the finish of a Von Duprin Inpact device to the door. Here are a couple of examples from one of my recent museum projects:
WW: Arched Doors
Jeff Tock and Kyle Learch of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies saw these doors right after my post about closers for arched doors, and couldn't believe the methods being used to get these doors closed. The doors had spring hinges as well.
How I Discovered Door Checks (Part 2), by L.C. Norton
I posted Part 1 of this article a while back, and apparently there have been people waiting patiently for the second installment. As requested, here is Part 2. Part 3 to follow.
More Museum Hardware
Last weekend I put together the annual family photo album so I could order copies for the grandparents. Mixed in with all of the vacation photos were a ton of doors. Someday my grown-up kids will be on the psychiatrist's couch..."My mother always took us places just so she could look for interesting doors...I'm scarred for life." :-)
Help Wanted
I really appreciate all of the comments and suggestions that were left in response to my post called WWYD? Cross-Corridor Pair. I love the collaboration and I know we can all benefit from the experience of others as well as the different points of view.
WW: I C-U-P
Remember the old playground joke, "How do you spell 'I cup'?" Somehow it seemed hysterical back in the day, but it's not so funny now...
WWYD? Cross-Corridor Pair
Thanks for your patience, everyone. My week "off" was followed by our Thanksgiving holiday, so I haven't posted as much lately. But I'm back, and I saw lots of doors while I was away.
Miss Me? :-)
As many of you know, I took some time off last week. The plugin I had installed to scroll random posts broke my mobile site so I had to uninstall it. Hopefully you all read that last delayed egress post in depth to keep you occupied. :-)
Decoded: Delayed Egress Hardware – Code Comparison (January 2012)
This post was printed in the January 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
The Great Boston Fire of 1872
It's almost impossible to imagine a fire of this magnitude, which began on November 9th, 1872. More than 770 buildings burned in less than 20 hours, most of them commercial buildings that were previously thought to be fire-proof. Several problems contributed to fighting the fire - the flu that had stricken most of the horses used to pull the fire engines, the attempts to reduce the fire load by exploding kegs of gunpowder inside of buildings, an inadequate water supply, and the crowds of spectators and looters filling the streets.
WW: Cover Girl
I can't stop looking at the naked LCN 4040 behind Lindsey Vonn's head. Thank you to Eagle-Eye Jim Bystry of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies for sending me the link.
Doors of Indiana
I coincidentally received these two sets of photos on the same day. Who knew there was such cool hardware in Indiana??
Reader Photos
It warms my heart when someone says, "I saw this door and I thought of you." :-) That's what Angie Sutton of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies wrote when she sent me this photo of an old vault door on a storage room at the county courthouse:
WW: Cairo Airport
Check out these regular arm closers mounted on the push side of a pair with a transom panel. I would have used a parallel arm closer with a flush transom shoe, but I can appreciate the creativity.
Decoded: Roof Access and Egress
This post was printed in the November 2011 issue of Doors & Hardware
New York Minute
My coworker Don Cherry and I with special guests.
Patient Room Doors
I don't know where this week went. I feel like I blacked out for a few days. On top of my usual load, I had 3 classes to teach within a couple of weeks - Code Jeopardy for the Massachusetts Locksmith Association, Fire Door Inspection for the Yankee Security Conference, and a Code Update for the DHI Conference in NYC. I had a lot of preparation to do because I hadn't taught these exact classes before, and I tend to spend a lot of time preparing so I'm less likely to pass out from fear on the big day. Anyway...this week has been rough but I'm getting there. I'm really looking forward to heading to NYC next Wednesday!
Fire Door Brain Teaser
Paul Goldense of Goldense Building Products showed me this pair of fire-rated doors last week. He mentioned that the architect had to change the arch to make it a "flatter" curve because of the rating, and that they had to use continuous hinges instead of butt hinges. Who can tell me why?
WWYD?: Back-to-Back Doors
Which product application do you use when you have doors that open back-to-back and need to close upon fire alarm? I was just explaining my preferred option to a specwriter last week, and then these photos arrived...perfect timing!
WW: The Greatest Step is Out the Door
I'm getting ready to teach a code class for the Massachusetts Locksmiths Association (anybody want to play Code Jeopardy??) so I don't have a lot of time to post tonight, but thanks to Bob Borson (Life of an Architect), Ginny Powell (A Cracked Door) and Martin Badke (Laux Myth...Thoughts From a Locksmith), I ran across a site mentioned on Twitter that will keep all of you door lovers entertained for most of the day.
Oldies But Goodies
Within one week I received two requests for help regarding old Von Duprin panic devices. I know that somebody out there has a dusty old file cabinet with information on these products. Ideally, we'd like to find exploded parts diagrams, installation instructions, or any other relevant information. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Decoded: Luminous Egress Path Markings
This post was printed in the October 2011 issue of Doors & Hardware
WW: A Hot Mess
This photo was taken by Jim Lenox of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies of Metro-NY. What you can't see in the photo is the pair of vertical rod panics which have had their rods and latches removed.
Closers for Arched Doors
You don't see a whole lot of arched doors on new construction these days, but I think we probably have more than our fair share of beautiful old arched doors in the Northeast. Over the years I've had quite a few calls about how to retrofit new hardware onto existing arched doors, and the trickiest part is the closer. A floor closer would work well, but it's often difficult or impossible to install a floor closer on an existing door because of the required floor preparation.
WW: More Vacation Photos
Here are some more vacation photos submitted by Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd. The next time you're on a road trip, don't forget to take some photos for me!
Goin’ Mo-Bile!
Have you ever had a few minutes to spare between meetings or while waiting for someone, and you wondered what was going on over at iDigHardware? Well, now you can find out! If you log into the site from your iPhone, Android, or iPad, you will be automatically directed to the new mobile version of iDigHardware. You can check out recent posts, access some of the more popular areas of the site, or search for the post that will make you a hero when you whip out the information someone is desperately looking for.
“¿Donde estan los churros?”
This weekend I left my computer at home (yes, really!) and headed to Cape Cod for my brother's wedding. The wedding was held in North Truro, and the kids had heard me say several times that we were going to "Truro." Well, my kids go to a bilingual school and are fluent in Spanish. All along they thought we were going to "Churro," and expected to see a slew of the cinnamon-sugary donut-stick type pastries on arrival. The disappointment didn't stop there - we didn't see any sandwiches in Sandwich, and luckily - no obvious pee in P-Town (the common nickname for Provincetown, Massachusetts).
What If?
Have you ever run into one of those doors that needs access control, but for whatever reason it's almost impossible to get the wires to the lock? Maybe it's an existing door (especially if it's fire rated), or an opening set into stone or a fancy surround like the door on the left. It might be a situation where the wiring would have to be run in surface-mounted conduit, or where drilling into the walls or ceiling would create too much dust or would interrupt a busy workspace. In a health care facility, there are specific procedures that must be followed to protect the air quality for patients and staff. An exterior gate or remote door would also be a tough access control installation if the product is hard-wired.
WW: Honky-Tonk Egress
I received a lot of vacation photos this summer, including these from my pal Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd in Israel, who apparently spent 5 weeks in the U.S. but didn't stop by to visit me. ;-)
Shiloh Baptist Church Panic, Birmingham Alabama
On this day in history, September 19th, 1902, a stampede at the Shiloh Baptist Church resulted in the deaths of 120 people. The church was clearly over occupant load capacity with thousands packed in to hear Booker T Washington speak, but I wonder about the available exits. Did the occupants rush the entrance door because that was the one they were familiar with? Were other exits marked and operable?
Big 5
Last month I told you that I would be drawing 5 names from my list of connections and subscribers in honor of my 500th post, to win their choice of prizes (an LCN 4040XP closer, a Schlage CO lock, a Schlage residential keypad lock, or a $50 Amazon gift card). Yesterday was my daughter Norah's 5th birthday, and she chose the 5 winners at random.
WW: Blocked Exits
This multitude of blocked exit photos was sent by Ian Childs of New Directions in Building Services, Sydney Australia. I think I may need to go thank Ian in person. :-)
It’s a Dog Eat Dog World, by TJ Gottwalt
I was just thinking to myself how nice it would be to have a night off...actually, since it's already 8:30 p.m. it's more like a half-night. Then I remembered that last week I received an article from a "guest blogger." Woohoo! Thanks TJ!